Page 39 - BNE_magazine_10_2019 kolomoisky

bne October 2019 Central Europe I 39
Study shows Slovaks trust carmakers and banks more than politicians and government
Nelly Tomchikova in Prague
Slovaks see carmakers as more trustworthy than politicians, according to a new survey conducted by IMAS International for Erste Group, the Slovak News Agency (SNA) reported on September 16.
Car producers are the most trustworthy according to Slovaks, followed by teachers, doctors and banks. The political parties and government the least trusted, the survey found.
“The poll also showed how little
Slovaks trust the media, i.e. television and radio stations and the press. This relates to the atmosphere in society
in general, with disinformation and fake news from alternative sources reaching the forefront. These undermine the credibility of traditional media. The credibility index in this case amounted to 47%," said Slovenska Sporitelna analyst Lenka Buchlakova, SNA quoted.
The credibility index of carmakers scored 72%, doctors and teachers
68% each and banks 67%. Despite the acknowledged social value of teachers and doctors and the fact that their financial situation has been improving lately, their salaries are far behind the level in other countries and the third lowest among OECD countries, ahead of only those in Hungary and Latvia.
The banks were followed by energy companies, airlines, the army and NGOs. The political parties scored only 28%
in the credibility index.
Quality of life in Czechia higher than in the US, Deloitte study says
Nelly Tomchikova in Prague
The quality of life in Czechia has overtaken that in the US, according to a new survey from Deloitte in cooperation with NGO Social Progress Imperative.
The Czech Republic ranked in 24th place from a total of 149 countries surveyed in terms of quality of life, up 2 places y/y and putting it slightly ahead of the US, according to the survey, as cited by the Czech News Agency (CNA)
on September 18. The US ranks 26th on the list.
Although the Czech Republic moved up in the ranking, in terms of points it did slightly worse. In International Index of Social Development the country gained 84.36 points out of 100, compared to 84.66 last year. The Czech Republic has made most progress especially in economic indicators.
The country has long maintained a good position in basic human needs. The indicator of nutrition and basic medical care improved by one place, while the indicator of shelter slightly worsened. Improvements can be seen also in fundamental human rights, individual freedoms and access to higher education.
In contrast, the Czech Republic posted a downward
turn in the quality of the environment and in access to information. “Even the richest countries have weaknesses they have to address. We should be concerned that personal rights indicators are falling. Even in the US, the cradle of democracy,” said Deloitte Chairman Josef Kotrba.
Norway ranked first, followed by Denmark and Switzerland. The worst quality of life is reported in Chad, the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
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